Document reminder system

ABSTRACT

A document reminder system is provided. The system provides a user-friendly interface to a user&#39;s existing document management, email, calendar and other systems in order to ensure that an appropriate user is notified when action should be taken on a specific document, and also provides notation to the user indicating the appropriate course of action to be taken. The system provides a calendaring feature where a supervisor or manager can determine the workload of a group of workers for an upcoming time period. The system provides an easily accessible and traceable database of information pertaining to a document, a client name, a client matter number, a document type, or other customizable fields in order for a user to search and sort the information for their own use.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/764,845 filed Feb. 4, 2006, the entire disclosure of whichis incorporated herein by reference in it entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a document reminder system.More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a documentreminder system that coordinates with a document management system, amessaging system and/or other various systems such that an appropriateuser is notified when action items for a document, a client or a projectare needed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a modern business environment, proper management of documents andrelevant dates is essential to success. A key problem in the managementof documents and dates is the tracking of documents through time,whether because of a need to follow up on a document at a given time,generate periodic reports, or perform periodic document review such asthat required by Sarbanes Oxley.

Numerous document management systems are known in the art. These systemsgenerally allow a user to identify a document using a variety of fieldsthat are then saved in a database that can be searched when a userwishes to retrieve documents pertaining to a particular client, aparticular matter, or even a general subject matter. Documents can alsobe searched by author, date of creation, or any other database fieldutilized by these systems. The problem with each of these systems,however, is that they require external functionality in order toindicate to a user when a certain document should be reviewed, or when aresponse to a document is expected, document management systemsthemselves treating documents as inert and having no significance otherthan as historical records. Contracts, demand letters, licenses, leases,and other business documents are not inert. They are the engines ofbusiness and govern numerous business events such as renewals,responses, elections, options, reviews, and cancellations. For example,in business, it would be useful to have a system that could notify auser that a key date is approaching, so that the user may then searchfor relevant documents in the document management system and actaccordingly. Using conventional technology, this, of course, requiresthat the pertinent information be entered into a docketing orcalendaring system so that the user will be notified of a need at alater date. The step of entering the needed information into a docketingor calendaring system takes time and requires significant labor on thepart of workers in an organization. Moreover tedious data entry isredundant and is subject to human error. It is well known that only afraction of dates are logged because of this time and resourceutilization factor and because of the disconnection between andcomplexity of multiple systems, e.g., calendaring (tickler), documentmanagement, and messaging or notification. Therefore, it would bebeneficial to attach a reminder to a document while the document isbeing read in a manner that only takes a few seconds and thatautomatically captures data already stored about the document, thusmaximizing the possibility the date is captured.

Moreover, even if the relevant data is entered, either enormousquantities of information must be entered, or the information will bewithout meaningful context such that the user still has to look up,retrieve, and review the documents relevant to the event in question.Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a document reminder systemthat seamlessly interfaces with a user's existing document managementsystem, email or messaging system, calendar (tickler) system and othersoftware, to provide a simple and effective means of generatingreminders, prompting users, tracking responses to the reminders (ifany), and furnishing meaningful information about the event, thedocument, and the parties, all within a matter of seconds.

Further, it would be beneficial to provide a system that furnishes quickaccess to the document itself, without a need to search the documentmanagement system. It would be further desirable to have a system thatnot only automatically identifies the relevant document, but alsofurnishes relevant information to refresh the user's recollection orpoints to the specific section within the document that has triggeredthe reminder. Having the reminder directly connected to the documentpermits the user quickly and easily to take the appropriate actionwithout the need for separate entry of data. For example, a contract mayspecify that notice of renewal must be sent within a prescribed periodof time prior to the expiration of the term of that contract. Knowingthat is helpful, but to whom is the notice to be sent? What is theproper address for notice? Must the notice be sent by Certified Mail orother prescribed means? How are specific terms used in this examplenotice provision defined? Years may pass before the date comes due. Inaddition, if the date is in a personal calendar, there is always thechance when the person goes looking for the document that the personuses the wrong document or version of the document. By being linked intothe document itself, each of these questions can be answered in seconds,all without the need for extensive data entry in a separate databasesystem and without fear that the wrong document or wrong version will beretrieved.

When users are responsible for an action item for a document, forexample a renewal date, they will often put that renewal date in theuser's personal calendar system, either an electronic or paper calendar.When the users are looking at their calendars, they are able todetermine what their workload for an upcoming time period is and whataction items need to be taken; however, usually, no other person in thegroup or even a supervisor has the ability to look at that person'scalendar to determine what the upcoming action items are. Even if asupervisor can look at a person's individual calendar the supervisorwill also see (and have to filter out) that person's personal events,such as social engagements, birthdays, and medical appointments.Additionally, in order to have an understanding for what an entire groupis responsible for, a supervisor would have to integrate many personalcalendars. Even if this could be done, which could be problematic,especially for those who insist upon using paper calendars, theintegrated or merged calendar would be littered with personalinformation, and wading through this irrelevant information can be bothtime consuming and overwhelming to the supervisor. It would therefore bebeneficial to provide a document reminder system that allows asupervisor to access a calendar which outlines all action items for eachindividual in the group and/or the group as a whole, without extraneouspersonal items. It would also be beneficial to provide a documentreminder system where a supervisor accesses one master calendar that hasall action items for a particular group of individuals or a particularproject and that can be easily sorted by various fields such as dates,clients, matters, and so on.

Another problem of relying, as most businesses do today, on personalcalendars is that when the person leaves the organization, thereminders, in many instances, leave too. Even if calendar dates aresomehow preserved, the cryptic personal notes the departed employee leftbehind in his/her calendar may be impossible to interpret. As aconsequence, the calendared event may pass without a response or thenecessary action being taken. Therefore, it would be beneficial toprovide a document reminder system where the responsibility for actionitems can be centrally reviewed and be easily transferred from one userto another.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the instant invention is to provide a document remindersystem. Another object of the instant invention is to provide a documentreminder system that is easy to use. Another object of the instantinvention is to provide a document reminder system that is easy to useand which provides increased usability over conventional systems.Another object of the instant invention is to provide a user-friendlyinterface to a user's existing document management, email or messaging,calendar, and/or other systems in order to ensure that an appropriateuser is notified when action or actions should be taken with respect toa specific document, is furnished with contextual notation to the userindicating the appropriate course of action to be taken, is linkeddirectly to the relevant document, is (after electing to enter thedocument) taken to the relevant section of the document, is furnishedwith an automatic verification of task completion, and is furnished witha project task list with respect to the document or the specific actionitem. Another object of the invention is to provide an easy and fast wayfor a supervisor or manager to determine the workload of a group ofworkers for an upcoming time period. Still another object of theinvention is to provide an easily accessible and traceable database ofinformation pertaining to a document, a client, or other fields in orderfor a user to search and sort the information for their own use and inorder for management, and others, to verify that tasks have beencompleted.

The document reminder system of the instant invention may be a standalone program that includes email/messaging functionality and documentmanagement functionality, or, alternatively, the document remindersystem of the instant invention may be a “middleware” (or ad-on) programthat operates in conjunction with already existing programs, such as adocument management system and an email/messaging system. In a preferredembodiment, the document reminder system accesses the databases of theother systems in order to create links and associations between the datastored in those databases, such as, for example, a document or an emailaddress list, and stores the associations as a reminder in a separatedatabase. A computer program associated with the document remindersystem database includes a time schedule feature, such that the databaseis triggered at the time an action relating to a document is to be takenand the database automatically generates the reminder via the messagingsystem along with the associated data from the other databases. In apreferred embodiment, the instant invention is a middleware programadapted for use with any email or messaging and document managementsystem. Popular document management systems, for example, aredistributed by Hummingbird™, Interwoven , SharePoint™, Documentum™,FileNet™, IBM™, Worldox™, and Open Text™. While the examples providedherewith are directed to one aspect of the present invention, namelythat aspect being adapted to function with the above listed documentmanagement systems, it is contemplated that any document managementsystem may be used in conjunction with the instant invention, alldocument management systems having equivalent data structures andfunctionality.

In one embodiment, the reminder information corresponding to aparticular document is provided by a user at the time of documentcreation. That is, when the user creates a document, the user simplyutilizes the document reminder system, such as, for example, byselecting an appropriate action from an onscreen drop-down menu, orclicking on an appropriate button or other control, to open a windowinto which the user may enter the appropriate tickler information, suchas the reminder date. A reminder and a tickler are used asinterchangeable terms in the industry and throughout this disclosure.Because the reminder of the present invention is opened within theon-screen document or in the document management profile or similarscreen, other information for the reminder is captured automaticallyfrom the database record in the document management system associatedwith the document. Automatically collected information includes (withoutlimitation): the pointer to the document itself, the date of creation,the author, the client and matter identifiers, the document type, theauthor's group, and the document management system's documentdescription. All necessary information, such as, for example, the clientname and matter number are included and if that information has not beenentered yet, for the case where it is a new document that has not beensaved to the document management system yet, the present invention willprompt the user to provide the necessary information or, in thealternative, to save the document in the document management systembefore creating a reminder for the subject document.

In another embodiment, while the user is reading the document in anapplication, such as, for example, Microsoft Word™, Excel™ or AcrobatAdobe™, an icon in the user's toolbar is clicked, rather than utilizinga drop down menu, to bring up the tickler to be attached to thedocument. In another embodiment, the user selects a document that hasalready been created from the document management system, opens thatdocument, and then creates a reminder for that document. In anotherembodiment, the present system is adapted to scan the document, uponaccessing the present system, in order to search for important dateinformation that may be included in the reminder. When appropriateevents are identified within the document, the data window is againentered where both user-input and automatically captured data will bestored.

Once the window for creating a reminder is opened, the user may enterthe recipient of the reminder, information pertaining to the documentand select certain features of the document reminder system. To select arecipient of the reminder, the system of a preferred embodiment allowsusers to utilize the address list of their current messaging system,thus choosing from existing staff members, a list of outside contacts,vendors, clients, customers, and so on. This prevents the need forcreating and maintaining a separate user list for the document remindersystem. In the window, the user may provide notation in the form ofinstructions to be provided at the time a reminder is sent. In this way,the user's recollection will later be easily refreshed and the user willknow what action to take with respect to a particular document withoutspending an inordinate amount of time reviewing the document itself, acorresponding file, or other materials. Likewise, the user may indicatethe date on which a later reminder is to be sent, and may request that acopy of the document itself be sent along with the reminder, or that areference linked to the user's document management system be provided.In addition to entering reminder text, the user may pinpoint the precisesection to which the reminder relates such that, when the document isaccessed from the reminder message, the document will be opened to theprecise clause in the document that is of importance to the date.Additionally, the reminder message may contain a link to a form that isto be used. Companies often have form letters or documents that are usedby the entire company. Throughout the years those documents change butare usually saved as later versions of the original document. In apreferred embodiment, the reminder sent includes a link to the documentsuch that when the document is accessed through the reminder the userwill be taken to the most current version of the document.

In addition to the above, in the window for creating reminders, the usermay opt to provide additional attachments relevant to the document withrespect to which the reminder is being generated. This ensures that, forexample, additional forms needed to complete the action that must betaken with respect to a document are readily available and that a userdoes not have to search the document management system for the correctforms and the proper versions that the company wants used at the timethe reminder is sent. Further, the user may also provide a checklist tobe included with the reminder. In one embodiment, the action to be takenon a document has multiple steps, each requiring discrete actions, thechecklist helping to ensure that the user completes each and everyaction required and does not inadvertently neglect one or more actions.The check list also allows a manager to monitor the progress of aparticular project, being able to identify those tasks that have beencompleted and those tasks that remain. The checklist also permitsknowledge transfer in that the checklist, created by experienced users,furnishes a roadmap for novice or less experienced users.

Once a reminder is in place for a particular document, the users need nolonger concern themselves with tracking that document, and need onlytake action when the document reminder system informs the user thataction is needed, while the document reminder system continues tomonitor the document response needs of the user, for all documents, overtime.

In the preferred embodiment, the document reminder system monitorsand/or tracks the documents in the following way, the document remindersystem may, for example, be scheduled to check, one or more times perday, a document reminder database created by the document remindersystem. When a document reminder is identified as needing attention, thedocument reminder system retrieves the appropriate reminder message andalso retrieves the appropriate document or reference, and additionaldocuments, if any, identified by the user as pertinent to the task athand. The user is reminded by email, instant message, telephone, pager,facsimile or other means, as chosen by the recipient. Where the reminderis electronic, the message will both contain the reminder informationand a link to the pertinent document or documents. The system inquestion also retrieves procedural checklists, if any, provided by theuser, as well as additional notation or instructions on the handling ofthe document or the event or events that are the subject of thereminder. The document reminder system then sends the reminder message,including all of its various components, and the appropriate document tothe user's email server (or messaging system) for delivery to one ormore users designated to receive the reminder. The user is then able toact on the document. It is preferred that once the necessary action hasbeen taken with respect to a document, the user can then indicate to thedocument reminder system that the action (or appropriate step in amultiple-step project) has been completed. In one embodiment, once theuser has completed the action or step, the user simply sends a replymessage (using the user's email or other messaging system) with the word“complete.” The document reminder system then shows the task ascompleted without the user having to do anything more. In oneembodiment, when the user completes the action or step, on amultiple-step project, the user indicates that he/she has completed theitem but it is then sent to a supervisor for approval rather than justshowing as complete by the system. The supervisor may review the workand set follow-up reminders for non-complete items. It will beappreciated that the document reminder system can monitor the documentsin a variety of different ways now known or that will become known inthe future in the art.

In another embodiment, the user sets a reminder without the reminderbeing attached to a document. The reminder may have all of the samefeatures and functions described above, including attaching givenpre-set forms (or a link to those forms), setting multiple reminders,setting a reoccurring reminder, attaching checklists and other pertinentinformation to the reminder.

In another embodiment, the document reminder system automaticallycreates the reminder based on information inputted by the user in thedocument management system profile or based on information from thedocument itself. The document reminder system extracts information fromthe profile to automatically create the reminder, for example, if acontract expiration date is entered in the profile by the user then anautomatic reminder is set for sixty days prior to that expiration date.Alternatively, the document reminder system may scan the document itselfand extract important date information and automatically create thereminder based on that information. As in the previously describedmanually created reminders, the reminder captures the profiledinformation of the document, such as, for example, the client mattername. If desired the user can later edit the reminder and add any of thefunctionally described herein, such as a link to forms or otherdocuments, multiple notification dates, task checklists, etc.

In addition to providing the reminder, the document reminder systemprovides reports and calendaring to further aid in the efficienthandling of documents and/or events that need attention over time. Inone embodiment, the calendaring component of the document reminderinvention is adapted to provide a user with information related only todocuments for which an action is scheduled on a given day, week, month,or other time period defined by the user. When the user accesses thecalendar, the only items shown on the calendar are documents beingtracked or monitored by the document reminder system or action itemsthat have been set-up in the document reminder system, along with theirstatus, if desired, and other information the user may select. In thisway, the user is able to access a calendar that does not containpersonal information or information not related to the documents forwhich reminders have been set, thus providing greater ease of use of thedocument reminder system than would be available by including theinformation in a user's preexisting calendaring software. Again, theuser can access the pertinent document directly from the calendar viewof the document reminder system, and a supervisor, administrator, orother user with appropriate access privileges can review, in calendarform, the documents that need to be, or have been, acted upon by one ormore users. The user can view those documents for which action ispending, or can view documents for which actions have been completed. Inone embodiment, the calendar view provides the user with informationconcerning who is responsible for the document, the action needed, andthe date upon which the action must be taken. The calendar view alsopreferably allows the user to go directly to a document (and/or to aparticular clause within a document) rather than having to search forthe document in the user's document management system or having toscroll through the document once retrieved. In one embodiment, thecalendar is searchable by various and customizable fields, for example,by client name, client matter number, document number or document type,in order to give a report to the client for all upcoming actions.

The reporting feature of the document reminder system allows, forexample, a user in a supervisory position to review all of the documentsneeding attention from one or more subordinates. In one embodiment, thereporting feature also allows the supervisor to view the status of theactions needed with respect to the documents, thereby determiningwhether the actions have been completed or are pending. In this manner,a supervisor is able to monitor all steps in a multiple-step project andhas the ability to set up follow-up reminders or have the user thatcompleted the item redo the item if it is not satisfactory to thesupervisor. The reporting feature of the document reminder systemprovides information to the supervisor concerning which subordinate isresponsible for a document, the date on which an action must be taken,the nature of the action to be taken, and additional comments, notationor the subordinates vacation schedules. Further, the reporting featurepreferably allows the supervisor easily to review the appropriatedocument by selecting it from within the report itself, rather thanhaving to go to the document management system to search for it, thusreducing the chance that the supervisor will access the wrong documentor wrong version and reducing exposure to liability.

The administrating feature of the document reminder system allows, forexample, a user in a supervisory role to change the individualresponsible for a calendared event, in order to even out workloads, moveall responsibilities in the case where an individual leaves a company,or the individual is on vacation. In one embodiment, the administratingfeature allows for a user with the correct authorization to configureuser rights, edit user authorization, reassign the owner of a remindersfor a specific period of time or permanently, create user groups, createand view vacation schedules, create custom tags, configure the systemfor customization, and viewing a log for a particular user so that theviewing of documents and reminders is monitored.

The above provides an exemplary description of the document remindersystem. This description is further supplemented by the documentsappended hereto. It is contemplated that a user of the document remindersystem may customize the system once in place, allowing the system toprovide data fields, selections, or other information pertinent to theuser's business. The present disclosure should be viewed broadly, andthe primary objective of the invention should be seen, broadly, asproviding an integrated document reminder system that interfaces with auser's existing document management, calendar and email systems.

It should be understood that the various descriptions and illustrationsof the present system set forth herein are exemplary and are notintended to limit the scope of the present invention. Upon reading thisdisclosure, many variations and modifications will be apparent to thoseof skill in the art, and it is contemplated that these variations andmodifications are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best modein which the applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is setforth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and isparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 is a sample screen shot of an exemplary embodiment of thedocument reminder system in connection with setting up a reminder withinthe present invention.

FIG. 1 a is a sample screen shot of the system of FIG. 1 showing anaddress list utilizing the user's current email messaging system.

FIG. 2 is several sample screen shots of the system of FIG. 1 showingsetting a notification date for the document reminder, with an optionfor the notification date to be recurring.

FIG. 3 is several sample screen shots of a preferred embodiment showinga review of the action items for a document by selecting that documentfrom a document management system and then showing the reminder that hasbeen previously set up for that document.

FIG. 4 is several sample screen shots of the reminder of a preferredembodiment showing various pop-up features, such as an attached formswindow, a task checklist window, and a delivery history of the reminder,also showing an example of how the reminder will look as an email whenopened by a user.

FIG. 4 a is a sample screen shot of a preferred embodiment showing thereminder sent by the document reminder system including an attacheddocument.

FIG. 5 is several sample screen shots of a preferred embodiment of thedocument reminder system showing a calendaring and a reporting featurewith the ability to filter the calendar view, for example, byindividual, group, or client, open the reminder and view the correctdocument.

FIG. 6 is a sample screen shot of the reporting feature of a preferredembodiment of the present system showing a list of upcoming remindersand ability to sort and print reports.

FIG. 7 is a sample screen shot of an administrating feature of apreferred embodiment of the present system showing a user rightsconfiguration and assignment feature.

FIG. 8 is a sample screen shot of the reporting feature of a preferredembodiment of the present system showing, in list form, a history ofactivity on a specific reminder.

FIG. 9 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing an editing feature that allows individuals to delegate/sharereminders with other users.

FIG. 10 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing the ability to re-assign future reminders and calendar entriesto other users (used for example, when someone leaves the company).

FIG. 11 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing the creation of user groups.

FIG. 12 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing a vacation feature that allows for a user to track his/herscheduled vacation.

FIG. 13 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing a custom tag feature allowing the user to customize the documentreminder system of a preferred embodiment, such as by employing analternative client/ matter filing system.

FIG. 14 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing a system configuration feature.

FIG. 15 is a sample screen shot of the administrating feature of FIG. 7showing a system log.

FIG. 16 is a sample screen shot of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention showing a reminder being set without being attached to adocument but that has all other functionality of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, detailed embodiments of the present inventions aredisclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosedembodiments are merely exemplary of the principles of the inventions,which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structuraland functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted aslimiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representativebasis for teaching one skilled in the art variously to employ thepresent invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in thecontext of a user interface system that uses an already existingdocument management system, an email system and other various systems inorder seamlessly to link the multiple systems together. The documentreminder system has endless applications including, but not limited to:contract management; contract milestones or evergreen clauses;regulatory compliance, such as Sarbanes Oxley; project documentmonitoring; certification and license renewals; maintenance and warrantyagreements; real estate transactions, lease agreements, insurancecontracts, human resources documents, such as employee reviews andbenefits reminders; ongoing client correspondence; training manualupdates; trademark and patent docketing; and other basic docketing.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 1, a document reminder system 20 isutilized to set-up a reminder by selecting a document 22 from a documentmanagement system by right clicking the user's mouse on document 22 andhaving a reminder window 40 open on the user's screen. That reminder isnow automatically linked to document 22 and that reminder is stored in adatabase of the document reminder system. At this time the user selectsthe appropriate person(s) to be responsible for document 22 from theuser's existing email contacts. Referring to FIG. la, the user selects aTo button 24 in reminder window 40 and a Recipients window 26 opens.Recipients window 26 utilizes the contact information from the user'semail messaging system, thus allowing users to select themselves, adifferent user at the company, an entire group, or even an individualoutside of the company, such as a client, vendor, customer, opposingcounsel, local counsel or other individuals. This feature prevents theneed for creating and maintaining a separate contact list for thedocument reminder system. In one embodiment, the user may carbon copy orblind copy recipients.

It will be appreciated that there are other known ways to select thedocument so that a window to enter information will open, including butnot limited to, selecting an appropriate command from an onscreendrop-down menu, or clicking on an appropriate button or other control,either from within the document management system or from within theprofiled document such as a Microsoft Word document. Any function may beutilized that will allow for the reminder window to open into which theuser can then enter the appropriate information. Because the reminderwindow is opened within the on-screen document (or document managementsystem), other information for the reminder is captured automaticallyfrom the database record (called a profile) in the document managementsystem associated with the document. Information automatically collectedmay include: the pointer to the document itself, the date of creation,the author, the client name, the client matter number and identifiers,the document type, the author's group, and the document managementsystem's document description, to name some of the most likely dataelements.

The user has the option to attach document 22 to the reminder as adirect link to document 22 in the document management system or as acopy of document 22. In one embodiment, the user has the ability to openthe document, for example, if the user wants to copy and paste aparagraph that needs attention, such as a termination clause, in thenotation of reminder window 40.

In one embodiment, the present system is adapted to scan the document,upon accessing the present system, in order to search for important dateinformation that may be included automatically in the reminder. Inanother embodiment, the user may pinpoint the precise section to whichthe reminder relates, such that, when the document is accessed from thereminder, the document will be opened to the precise clause in thedocument that is of importance and which describes or mandates theaction needed. In another embodiment, a user can set-up the reminderwhile within a document application, such as, for example, MicrosoftWord™, Excel™ or Acrobat Adobe™, by simply clicking on an icon locatedin the user's toolbar or similar location the reminder window will openand automatically attach the document the user has open to the reminderalong with any automatically collected information (as discussed above).

Once the window for creating the reminder is opened, the user entersinformation pertaining to document 22 and selects certain features ofdocument reminder system 20. For example, the user may provide notationin the form of instructions to be provided at the time the reminder issent. Referring to FIG. 2, the users selects a Notify Date button 41 anda Notification Date window 42 opens. The user indicates the date onwhich the reminder is to be sent. This date can correspond to anyimportant date, such as, for example, a contract renewal notice, apatent due date, client follow-up note or other key dates relating tothe document. Multiple notification dates may be selected by the user,for example, the user may want the reminder to be sent 1 month, 2 weeks,1 week, 3 days, and on the due date of the important date. If multiplenotifications are set and the user completes the action item and sends acompletion email by replying to the reminder, then future reminders willnot be sent.

In one embodiment, the user can set notifications to be sent after thedue date, until the item is completed, for example, every day after theaction item is due until the user completes the item. In one embodiment,the user may create the reminder for a date in the future beyond the duedate of the action item, for example, if the user wants a reminder tosend the completed document to the client for review. The user istherefore not limited to picking one notification date, but rather mayselect as many dates as are necessary and therefore setting up as manyreminders to that particular document as the user wants. The user mayalso create a recurring date by selecting a Recurrence button 43 so aNotification Recurrence window 44 opens. The user can set a reoccurringreminder to coincide with an important document date, such as, forexample, if a 15-year vendor contract has a clause that the vendor mustcarry insurance, the reoccurring reminder can be sent to the user toremind the user to check and make sure that the vendor has a currentinsurance policy.

In one embodiment, the personal electronic calendar of the user, forexample, Microsoft Outlook™, Lotus Notes or Novell GroupWise,synchronizes with the calendaring feature of the document remindersystem such that the user's personal calendar is updated automaticallywhen any reminder is set-up for that user, no matter what user has setthe reminder, and such that if the user makes a change to the reminderin the user's personal calendar then the calendar of the documentreminder system is automatically updated. In one embodiment, acontract's expiration date may be set-up as the reminder to the user.The user can then confirm that the contract has indeed expired and viewa document retention table within the document reminder system and thenset a new reminder that coincides with the proper retention dates. Whenthe future reminder is then sent the user can determine if the documentshould continue to be retained or if it should be destroyed. The timenecessary to retain documents depends on the law at the time thecontract expires, therefore, current data retention tables may beaccessed when the document expires in order to set the correct retentionschedule for that document.

In addition to the above, the user may opt to provide additionalattachments relevant to the document with respect to which the reminderis being generated. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, reminder window 40 hasvarious options available to the user so that the user may attachadditional information to the reminder.

The user may attach additional pre-set forms or templates to thereminder by selecting a Forms Library button 45 that opens an AttachedForms window 46. This ensures that additional forms needed to completethe action that must be taken with respect to the document are readilyavailable and that a user does not have to search the documentmanagement system for such forms and their correct version. OnceAttached Forms window 46 is open, the user can select which form(s) thathe/she wants to attach to the reminder, such as, for example, a form tobe used as an example of how the document should be drafted or anothercorrelating agreement that is pertinent to the document or form. Mostcompanies have set form letters that are to be sent to clients, vendorsor other such correspondents and by having a form linked to thereminder, whenever that reminder is opened the most current version ofthe form will be accessed.

The user may provide a checklist to be included with the reminder byselecting a Checklists button 49 which opens a Document Checklistswindow 48. In an instance wherein the action to be taken on a documenthas multiple steps, each requiring discrete actions, the checklist helpsensure that the user completes each and every action required and doesnot inadvertently neglect one or more actions. In one embodiment, thevarious tasks in the checklist may be handled by different users andeach item on the checklist item can be assigned to a different user sothat all users working on the project know who is responsible for whatdocuments or action items and when they are due. This feature allows forthe quick delegation of assignments within a project to a group of usersand allows for quicker and more informed work flow. In one embodiment,completed items can be approved by the supervisor and follow upreminders can be assigned for uncompleted items or items not done to thesatisfaction of the supervisor.

In another embodiment, the user may create the reminder at a later timethan when the user first created or reviewed the document. The processis similar to that described above, the user selects a document in theuser's document management system and then accessing the documentreminder system, such as by right clicking on the particular document inthe document management system to select and launch the documentreminder system. Similarly, a user may edit a reminder at anytime andthe entire document reminder system and corresponding reminders onpersonal calendars are automatically updated.

In another embodiment, the document reminder system automaticallycreates the reminder based on information inputted by the user in thedocument management system profile or based on information from thedocument itself. The document reminder system extracts information fromthe profile to automatically create the reminder, for example, if acontract expiration date is entered in the profile by the user then anautomatic reminder is set for sixty days prior to that expiration date.Alternatively, the document reminder system may scan the document itselfand extract important date information and automatically create thereminder based on that information. As in the previous manually createdreminders, the reminder will capture the profiled information of thedocument, such as, for example, the client matter name. If desired theuser can later edit the reminder and add any of the functionallydescribed herein, such as a link to forms or other documents, multiplenotification dates, task checklists, etc.

In another embodiment, referring to FIGS. 4 and 8, after the reminder iscreated, the user may select a Delivery History button 51 and a historyreport 52 that summarizes the email delivery history of all thereminders for that document. This feature allows for a detailed anduneditable audit trail of all users and outside individuals that havereceived the reminder regarding the document. In yet another embodiment,the user has the ability to access a history report that displays when areminder had been viewed by the receiver of the reminder.

Once a reminder is in place for a particular document, users need nolonger concern themselves with tracking that document, and need onlytake action when the document reminder system informs the user, forexample, by a reminder message 50 that is generated by the documentreminder system of the instant invention, that action is needed, whilethe document reminder system continues to monitor the document responseneeds, for all documents, over time. Referring to FIG. 4 a, illustratingan example of reminder message 50 with an attached document. This iswhat the user receives when an action item is needed. Reminder message50 includes information related to the various functionality and optionsdescribed herein. In the reminder message examples, illustrated by FIGS.4 and 4 a, reminder message 50 is in the form of an email; however, itis contemplated that the reminder message could be an instant message, atext message, a pager message, a facsimile or other type ofcommunication, as chosen by the recipient.

The way in which the document reminder system monitors and/or tracksdocuments is now described briefly. It should be understood that thefollowing is exemplary of the mode of operation of the document remindersystem, and is not to be construed as limiting. Much of thefunctionality of the document reminder invention may be provided inother ways that will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art uponreading this disclosure.

The document reminder system may, for example, be scheduled to check,one or more times per day, a document reminder database created by thedocument reminder system. When a document reminder is identified asneeding attention, the document reminder system retrieves theappropriate reminder message and also retrieves the appropriate documentor reference copy and additional documents, if any, identified by theuser as pertinent to the task at hand. The system also retrievesprocedural checklists, if any, provided by the user, as well asadditional notation or instructions on the handling of the document.Referring to FIG. 4, the document reminder system then sends a remindermessage 50, including all of its various components, and the appropriatedocument to the user's email server for delivery to one or more usersdesignated to receive the reminder. The user is then able to act on thedocument. In a preferred embodiment, once the necessary action has beentaken with respect to a document, the user can then indicate to thedocument reminder system that the action has been completed. The usersimply replies to reminder message 50 and types “complete” as a messageand then hits the “send” or similar functioning button. In oneembodiment, a completion email is sent by an individual outside of thecompany, regardless of the messaging system that individual is using(for use when the reminder is sent to a vendor or client). The documentreminder system will then update the status of the reminder as completedupon receipt of the email. In one embodiment, the reminder will be sentto a supervisor to approve the action that was completed. At that time,the supervisor may not approve the reminder and send it back to the userif more work is needed. The supervisor may assign follow up remindersfor uncompleted items or additional items.

In addition to sending reminder message 50, the document reminder systemprovides reports and calendaring to further aid in the efficienthandling of documents that need attention over time. Referring to FIG.5, illustrating the calendaring component, a calendar 100, of thedocument reminder system is adapted to provide a user with informationrelated only to documents for which an action is scheduled on a givenday, week, month, or other time period defined by the user. When theuser accesses calendar 100, the only items shown on the calendar aredocuments being tracked or monitored by the document reminder system,along with their status, if desired, and other information the userselects. In this way, the user is able to access a calendar that doesnot contain personal information or information not related to thedocuments for which reminders have been set. The user, for example asupervisor, viewing calendar 100 that has, for example, all the itemsthat the supervisor's staff needs to complete in an upcoming month, thesupervisor can reassign upcoming work to balance the work load of thestaff.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 5, the different reminders areclick buttons (or active links) with the reminder name showing. When areminder entry 108 is accessed reminder window 40 opens for the user toreview. Again, the user can access a document 56 directly from thecalendar view of the document reminder system by selecting the OpenDocument button 47. A supervisor, administrator, or other user withappropriate access privileges can review, in calendar form, thedocuments that need to be, or have been, acted upon by one or moreusers.

Calendar 100 provides the user with information concerning who isresponsible for the document, the action needed, and the date upon whichthe action must be taken. The user can view only those documents forwhich action is pending, or can view documents for which actions havebeen completed by selecting the Completed Reminders button 102. Acompleted reports window 106 allows the reviewer to view what reminderswere completed and when they were completed. This is also a quick andefficient way for the reviewer to ensure that any reminders that wereset up by the reviewer for other users have been completed. In anotherembodiment, completed reminders can be sorted and printed for use as anaudit report.

Calendar 100 also allows the user to go directly to a document ratherthan having to search for the document in the user's document managementsystem. In one embodiment, the calendar is searchable by various andcustomizable fields by selecting a Filter Users button 104 that can, forexample, allow the user to filter calendar 100 by individual, group,client, document type, etc.

In yet another embodiment, referring to FIG. 16, the user may create areminder that is not related to a document. This reminder will appear asan entry to the calendar. The user need only type a subject in thesubject line that the reminder pertains to, thus giving the reminder atitle that will appear on the calendar. The reminder has the sameabilities to, for example, access the email contacts address list,attach forms, include checklists, reference data tables, set severalnotification dates, and set reoccurring dates. The user also has theability to access tables in the document management system or othersystems to find the proper filing information, such as, for example, theclient name or client matter number.

The reporting feature of the document reminder system allows, forexample, a user in a supervisory position to review all of the reminderevents and/or documents needing attention from one or more subordinates.Referring to FIG. 6, upcoming reminders can be produced and sorted. Theuser accesses a Report window 60 and may select different variables inorder to create the wanted report, such as, for example, the reportingfeature can create a report to give to the client for all upcomingevents. In one embodiment, the reporting feature allows the supervisorto view the status of the actions needed with respect to the documents,thereby determining whether the actions have been completed or arepending.

When an item is marked as completed by the user, a supervisor mayapprove the item and/or assign follow-up items when necessary. Thereporting feature of the document reminder system may provideinformation to the supervisor concerning which subordinate isresponsible for a document, the date on which an action must be taken,the nature of the action to be taken, and additional comments ornotation. Therefore, the supervisor can easily look into the futurethrough the calendar and reassign upcoming work to balance the work loadof their subordinates. In another embodiment, the reporting featureallows the supervisor to easily review the appropriate document byselecting it from within the report itself, rather than having to go tothe document management system to search for it.

Referring to FIGS. 7, 9-15, the administrating feature of the documentreminder system allows for a user in an administrative role, such as,for example, an office manager, a project manager, or a billing attorneyto make administrative changes to the document reminder system. In oneembodiment, referring to FIG. 7, the administrating feature is accessedthrough the document reminder system and utilized using anadministration window 120. By using administrative window 120 theadministrator has various options for customizing the document remindersystem. Referring to FIG. 9, the user in a supervisory role may changethe individual responsible for a calendared event by selecting an EditAuthorization tab 122. Edit Authorization tab 122 allows for theadministrator to delegate/share reminders to other users. This featuremay be used to even out workloads by moving a few assignments from oneuser to another or may be used when an individual is on vacation so thatthe reminders to that person are redirected temporarily. Referring toFIG. 10, the user in an administrative role may reassign all futureemail reminders and calendar entries to another user when an individualleaves the company or moves to a different department.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 11, administrative window 120provides the ability to create user groups. This feature allows theadministrator to put individuals in to a group, such as, sales,litigation, real estate, everyone, administration or tech. These groupscan then be used by any user of the system to set a reminder (as opposedto using an individual own contacts list from the email/messagingsystem). In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 12, the administrator, byselecting a Vacation tab 128, can enter vacation schedules for any user.The vacation schedules are then coordinated with the calendaringfeature. In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 13, the user, byselecting a Custom Tags tab 130, can create custom tags that will allowfor sortable fields such as client/matter for the reminders. In yetanother embodiment, referring to FIG. 14, the user, by selecting aSystem Config tab 126, the administrating feature allows the user toconfigure the document reminder system in conjunction with the server,to enable defaults for attachments and reminder window format. In oneembodiment, referring to FIG. 15, the user, by selecting a System logtab 138, can view a system log that shows the reminders that have beencreated, edited and completed.

Although the foregoing detailed description of the present invention hasbeen described by reference to an exemplary embodiment, and the bestmode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been shownand described, it will be understood that certain changes, modificationor variations may be made in embodying the above invention, and in theconstruction thereof, other than those specifically set forth herein,may be achieved by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, and that such changes, modificationor variations are to be considered as being within the overall scope ofthe present invention. Therefore, it is contemplated to cover thepresent invention and any and all changes, modifications, variations, orequivalents that fall with in the true spirit and scope of theunderlying principles disclosed and claimed herein. Consequently, thescope of the present invention is intended to be limited only by theattached claims, all matter contained in the above description and shownin the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of theinvention, the manner in which the invention is constructed and used,the characteristics of the construction, and advantageous, new anduseful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices,elements, arrangements, parts and combinations, are set forth in theappended claims.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

1. A document reminder system comprising: a connection with a documentmanagement system; a connection with a messaging system; and a databasefor storing reminder information including information relating to saiddocument management system and said messaging system.
 2. The system asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said reminder information comprises at leastone reminder message that will be transmitted through said messagingsystem.
 3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reminderinformation comprises an action to be taken at a certain time regardinga document stored in said document management system.
 4. The system asclaimed in claim 3 wherein a copy of said document is attached to areminder message.
 5. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein areference link to said document is attached to a reminder message. 6.The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said reminder informationincludes a selectable time and date for sending said reminder message.7. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said reminder informationincludes a plurality of options to include information with saidreminder message.
 8. The system as claimed in claim 7 wherein one saidoption includes the ability to attach a checklist to said remindermessage.
 9. The system as claimed in claim 7 wherein one said optionincludes the ability to attach at least one form document to saidreminder message.
 10. The system as claimed in claim 3 furthercomprising a calendar displaying said reminder information.
 11. Thesystem as claimed in claim 10 wherein said calendar includes saidreminder information for multiple users simultaneously for a specifiedtime.
 12. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said calendarincludes an active link to view a reminder message in its entirety. 13.The system as claimed in claim 1 further including a report generator,wherein reminder information is sortable by a plurality of fields.
 14. Adocument reminder system comprising: a document management system; amessaging system; and a database for storing reminder informationincluding information relating to said document management system andsaid messaging system; wherein said reminder information furtherincludes an action to be taken at a certain time regarding a documentstored in said document management system.
 15. The system as claimed inclaim 14 wherein said action comprises sending a reminder message viasaid messaging system.
 16. A method of managing documents comprising thesteps of: storing a document in a document management system; storinginformation regarding said document in a document reminder system,wherein said information includes reminder information for an action tobe taken at a certain time relating to the document; generating areminder message at the time the action is to be taken, wherein thereminder message includes information regarding the document.
 17. Themethod as claimed in claim 16 wherein said information regarding thedocument comprises a link to the document in the document managementsystem.
 18. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said informationregarding the document comprises a copy of the document from thedocument management system.